Nothing But the Void

A poem about my ex boyfriend after six years of struggling with his alcoholism...

You fight so hard,
And hurt so much.
I cannot imagine…
A fruitless endeavour;
You fight angrily
- And tired.
So tired and worn.
I sympathize;
But I do not feel you
... Not any more
Only a memory remains;
My heart slowly closing.
Yet with curiosity,
I still watch you:
You feel so much,
You feel alone
- And you are.
I cannot feel myself,
My heart isolated.
We are alone,
Strangers.
Do you know
that I have gone?
You do, don’t you!?
Raging against life
Like you have lost everything.
You have.
Raging with vengeful fire,
That burns the floor underneath you;
Leaving only ashes
as a trace of what used to be.
Nothing remains,
But the whole in your heart.
Nothing but the void.

Mai L. Nissen, 2011

Author's Note

Art by Ditte Løfgren, (fragment of larger painting)
http://ditteloefgren.com

Any constructive criticism is appreciated
General thoughts, associations also happily received

Reviews

[Coyote Poetry]

I do understand this poem. Hard to live with someone with uncontrolled needs. Both my parent liked their drink over real life.
"You have.
Raging with vengeful fire,
That burns the floor underneath you;
Leaving only ashes
as a trace of what used to be."
The above lines are true. It is scary to see people fall to the need of booze and dead-ends. Thank you for sharing the excellent poetry.
Coyote

[Mai L Nissen]

Thank you for sharing your experience of the poem - I am sorry for your experiences with your parents, but grateful for you sharing and recognising the situation. Thank you :)

[Coyote Poetry]

Made me not drink like them. Bad examples can show us the better way and you are welcome.

[Yusuf Qaizar]

Though I haven't had any experience of a loved one being overwhelmed by alcohol but this poem does give a fine feeling of devastating it is to watch them burn their spirit with spirit.

[Mai L Nissen]

Thank you for reading and being open to the contents regardless of own experiences :)

[nazia]

your words are so powerful that i can feel the effect flowing through.
thanks for sharing. gud job

[Mai L Nissen]

Thank you for reading and sharing your experience of the poem.

[Christa]

I can feel the emotion that goes along with this poem. You have infused the pain, the anger into your words.

[Mai L Nissen]

Thank you for reading - glad that the emotions shine through :)